She's Got A Boyfriend Now
by xxMusikManiac
Summary: AP tour 2010 is over & John Gomez is glad to be home, even if it is only for a month. Sleeping in, relaxing, seeing old friends, hanging out with his old high school sweetheart - and her new boyfriend? Uhh...this could get awkward...


Chapter One: Perfect Situation.

Ahh, Starbucks: hipster heaven. Every shop looks the same but there's something special about this one. For one girl it was her utopia. Her same little cherry wood table in the corner always seemed to be vacant whenever she came, which wasn't very often, now that she had started her sophomore year at Kent State University. But every time she came home, it would be empty; the beaming sunlight from the clear windows hitting it on the right curve at just the right angle, so perfect and serene. She remembers sitting there for hours, sipping the same cup slowly and thinking intently. So many of her biggest decisions were made in that little corner, she was even photographed for the yearbook there. Little shops like that were being torn down and rebuilt rapidly in her town, but the coffee shop stayed at the center of it all, never changing. Like a photograph, frozen in time.

"Come on, come on, we have to see if it's still there!" her tiny voice whistled as she tugged her boyfriend's arm. She'd usually spend time at her table alone, but she wouldn't have dared to leave him with her father's burning glare any longer. Even with his long black hair pulled into a beanie and his face fresh of his usual black make-up, Andrew wasn't the kind of guy her father was used to seeing his daughter with.

"You said it's always empty, why are we rushin'?"

"Because I don't even know if it's still there, baby." He groaned as she pulled his arm around the corner, the rest of his body resisting behind. "Sorry if I'm a bit anxious."

"Whatever, I just hope you aren't dissapoin-"

"Yay!" she squealed, pressing her face against the glass window. "No one's there!"

"Imagine that," Andrew sarcastically added, rolling his eyes. "Hey!" He gripped his arm as if she had hit him with a brick and not a purse. "I was just kidding, babe." A couple sitting at the table closest to the window giggled at the younger couple's quarrel, which silenced once they got inside of the small coffee shop. The familiar aroma of coffee beans and freshly baked scones quickly filled her nostrils. She was home. She smiled, intertwining her fingers behind her head. Andy didn't drink coffee, even the smell bothered him, but he was willing to endure it for a half hour for her. When she sat down in the chair against the wall, she noticed the tiny sign sitting as a center piece, a folded index card with red letters. RESERVED. She wrinkled her brow, and turned it around to show Andy, who was slowly strolling behind her.

"It was Jenny's idea," she heard a rough voice boom from behind the counter. "She saw your mom down at the store and thought you would like it." It was Mr. Trotter, the owner, who was placing doughnuts in the plastic display case next to the cash register. She smiled, setting the sign back in the center of the table.

"Tell Mrs. Trotter thanks for me, 'kay?" He nodded, returning her smile. Andy pulled up a chair to the table, but didn't sit down.

"Goin' to the bathroom," he announced before heading towards the restrooms.

"Boy looks a little sick," Mr. Trotter said once the men's restroom door had closed behind him.

"Doesn't like coffee," she chuckled, scrunching her nose.

"Oh." He looked at the restroom door again, shook his head then headed back into the kitchen. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. She missed this place, she missed being home. For a minute, she let her mind wander to her life at Kent State; she had friends, a loving boyfriend and her grades were good…but all that had nothing on the life she had here. The back of her hand ran across the right leg of her chair, the metal was cold and smooth on her skin. She thanked God for this place, she thanked him for letting greedy contractors overlook the value in this building and for keeping it standing. She wondered where she would go to think if it weren't for this place. Dismissing the thought, she hoped she would never have to find out. The bell hanging from the ceiling chimed, her eyes opened. The tall figure that entered headed straight for the counter and leaned over it, peaking into the kitchen.

"Yooo! Mr. T!" Mr. Trotter appeared from the door immediately, wrapping his arms around the skinny boy's small frame. His build looked familiar, but he had moved so quickly across the room that she hadn't got a good look at his face. She noticed the tattoos on the tops of both his feet, though, and the huge holes in the knees of his faded skinny jeans. The voice sounded familiar, too, but the boy she was thinking of didn't have tattoos, or a spiked up mullet for that matter.

"Good to see ya, boy! Where's that smart ass brother of yours?" Mr. Trotter asked.

"Ehh, he's around," the boy laughed. The laugh sounded familiar, too. Now her cheeks were getting warm. _It couldn't be…_

"How long you guys home for?"

"Only 'til the 25th," he sighed, "but I'm happy with it."

"Better than nothing, right?" Mr. Trotter's eyes floated towards her, since she had been staring at the back of the boy's head the whole time they had been chatting. She panicked as the boy looked over his shoulder, following his gaze. She pulled her phone out of her bag and pretended to reply to a text. Pathetic? Yeah, but it fooled him. The boy had turned completely around now, leaning his back against the counter, but she was trying hard not to look at his face, fearing it was exactly who she thought it was. She saw Mr. Trotter lean into his ear out of her blurred peripheral, and the boy began walking over. She put the phone down on the table next to her purse, waiting for her Twitter homepage to load.

"Annabelle?" She looked up, feeling her eyes get wider. _Sweet Jesus, take me now. _"Annabelle Sanders?" he rhetorically asked, finally reaching the little cherry wood table. His hanging jaw was replaced by a bright smile. "It is you." She finally swallowed her beating heart that had jumped into her throat, and jumped up.

"John…oh my God." She stood, staring, then realized her expression was so different from all the feelings that were filling her. She focused on overwhelming joy, and smiled brightly.

"Well, don't just stand there!" He opened his long arms and pulled her into a hug. She hesitated for half a second, then wrapped her tiny arms tightly around his waist. She had forgotten how good his hugs felt, how good he smelled, but it was all crashing over her again.

"What happened to you?" she asked as she pulled back, hanging on to his forearms.

"What happened to me? What happened to you?" he laughed, spinning her around, "you look amazing! As beautiful as ever," he said softly, turning her around once more.

"And you!" she walked around him, scanning him from head-to-toe, "you look so, so…grown up," she said, for lack of a better word. Well...she had a better word, but she didn't want to say it aloud. He looked so different from what she remembered. He was still a lanky, tiny person, but he had definitely grown, and she couldn't ignore the choppy style of his once curly mop of hair and the fuzz of a newly forming mustache & goatee. But his baby face was still present, though, and his green eyes still fluttered brightly behind his long lashes. "Wow," she pushed her fingers through his soft hair, "a mullet? Really, John?" she teased. He chuckled, taking her hand in his.

"Felt like doing something crazy," he said, tangling his free hand in her long curls, "besides, you're one to talk," he teased back, tickling her nose with the ends of her hair, "red? I mean I know it's your favorite color but holy shit, your whole head?" He dropped his hand from her hair, "you look like Hayley Williams," Glancing down at her torn bellbottoms and flip flops, he added, "the hippie version." As his eyes travels back up to her face they stopped momentarily, falling on the tattoo below her left shoulder: a crack running down to her breast with a peeling band-aid over it.

"I'll take that as a compliment, John." His eyes shot back up to her face.

"It was nothing but, Bell," he smiled, staring down at her. She blushed, swinging her head towards the floor then back up. He could barely believe she was standing in front of him, it seemed like they were never in town at the same time anymore. Actually, the last time he remembers seeing her was at their high school graduation, almost 2 years ago. It felt so much longer, though, to both of them. Whenever either would come into town, they'd hear from the former neighbors about how they 'just missed each other.' It was as annoying as it was frustrating. But that was over, for at least this moment. He could finally tell her how much he missed her, how his mind would always wander back to memories of her...but he couldn't manage to open his mouth. He could only stare at her, her brown eyes staring back just as intently. His lips parted a few times, but nothing came out. They had both lost track of time, they could swear they'd been staring there forever. Back in reality, it had only been a little under a minute, and all eyes were on them. Damien exited the restroom, fixing his shirt as he walked towards John & Annabelle.

"Babe, can we go now? My head is…" Andy slowed his pace as he approached the reunited lovers, who were still unconsciously holding each other's hands. "killing me…" Annabelle jerked away first, awkwardly staring at the ground. Andy took a gentle grip on her forearm, pulling her to his side. "Who is this?" he asked as calmly as he could. You couldn't blame him, he did just catch some guy all over his girlfriend. She silently alternated glances from Andy to John, and vice versa. Andy nudged her a bit with his elbow, keeping his eyes on John.

"Oh, this is Andy," she said, stumbling over her words a little. Andy moved his hand across her back and onto her waist, pulling her into him a little.

"Her boyfriend," he added harshly. John wrinkled his nose.

"Lucky guy," he said, smirking down at Annabelle, who was trying to hide her blushing cheeks. "John," he stated, extending his hand. Andy swiftly took John's hand and shook it only once before letting go just as quickly as he grabbed it. "Sooo," he cleared his throat, "what brings you back home?"

"Spring semester's over, we're actually on our was to San Francisco, thought we'd stop by on the way." Annabelle rolled her eyes, recognizing his deeper tone. Andy was doing all the talking, as usual. This was especially awkward for the noisy spectators, since John was clearly addressing Annabelle. One man chuckled a little, and his wife shushed him.

"What about you?" Annabelle said, sheepishly speaking up.

"Here 'til the 25th," John announced again, happily. "Then it's off to Warped!" He jigged a little, and Annabelle smiled, recognizing his victory dance.

"Oh yeah, you guys just finished AP," she remembered. Her dorm mate and a few more of her friends drove up to Columbus to catch the last date of the tour. They invited Annabelle, but she refused, claiming she didn't have the money. Andy decided that they could start their road trip early, then.

"Wait, so you're John?" Andy raised his eyebrow, finally recognizing him, "the guy in those pictures on your wall," he looked down at Annabelle who nodded. He was remembering her _**memories**_ wall in her dorm, right above her desk. It was a huge collage of pictures of pretty much everything and everyone she left here in Arizona; of course that included John. The one Andy asked about first was the four of them in a photo booth at a Phoenix carnival.

"_Ex-boyfriend?"_

"_Uhh, no…my best friend from Arizona," _she was trying hard to forget him then_, "John..." _

"Wow, I can't believe you guys are getting so big now," she sighed, slightly changing the subject, "what happened to the little-known band I used to know & love?" she joked.

"Oh, come on, don't pull that on me," John laughed, "Mrs. Four-time Dean's List Photography Major." She was stunned. It must have showed on her face, because John admitted "yeahhh, you mom told me," while grinning, "she tells everybody, actually," he chuckled, running his hand through his hair.

"Oh great," she groaned. She should have known, really. Carrie was the town's own little chatter box. Her mom was always talking people's ears off about her & her older sister.

"Listen, babe, can we get out of here? Even the bathrooms smell like coffee," Andy complained, breaking John & Annabelle's eye contact.

"Uh, sure," she said, picking her purse up from off the table. As she reached, she caught John's smile fading. "so John," she pushed his shoulder lightly, "I'll see you later?" His face picked back up.

"You know where to find me," he smirked. She grinned, wrapping her arms around his waist. John hesitated this time, glancing as Andy's frown before warmly returning the hug. He forced himself to let go after a few seconds, and she waved as they left. He was about to waved back, when Andy pulled both her arms to trapped her in a kiss. His face fell again, along with his head and he slumped into the chair closest to him.

"That's gotta sting some," Mr. Trotter sighed, startling John a little. He hadn't even seen him come from behind the counter and approach him.

"Why should it? It's her," he paused, but he wasn't sure why, "boyfriend..."

"Want your usual?"

"Yeah…" he tilted his head back, letting it rest on the wall, "make it a double, Mr. T."


End file.
